Kodiak Island Borough interviews four applicants to fill vacancy; community leaders back Mark Anthony Viscocco

The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly on Thursday, July 16, interviewed four applicants to fill the assembly seat vacated by Dave Johnson, hearing public endorsements for Mark Anthony Viscocco and asking candidates about priorities such as education, housing and infrastructure.

Mayor Jared Griffin opened the special work session and said the clerk advertised the vacancy "per borough code" (advertised June 26 and July 3; application period June 27–July 11). He read the four applicants’ names: Mark Anthony Viscocco, Sean Brecki, Caleb Callahan and Alexander Sweeney, and explained the assembly would interview each in a rotating order before deciding whether to vote at the regular meeting or postpone the appointment.

Several members of the public called or spoke in favor of Viscocco. David Davis said he has "known him in multiple levels of community service," and asked the assembly to appoint Viscocco. Rich Gonzales, identified as fire chief of the Kodiak Fire Department and a retired Coast Guard lieutenant commander, described Viscocco’s volunteer leadership—listing roles including president of the Filipino American Association of Kodiak, president of the East Elementary School PTA and vice president of the Kodiak Booster Club—and said those roles "represent countless volunteer hours" that prepared him to serve on the assembly. Julie Matweux, who said she spoke as a private citizen and works for Alaska Sea Grant, also called in to endorse Viscocco. Bianca Daley told the assembly she believes Viscocco’s perspective "has been missing from this assembly," saying his leadership would add representation for a large segment of Kodiak’s community.

Each candidate answered a standard set of questions. All four confirmed they are registered voters and have been Kodiak residents for at least a year and said they do not hold compensated borough office or other elected state or federal positions.

Mark Anthony Viscocco, who described prior service on Kodiak’s city council and leadership of the Filipino American Association, said the borough should prioritize schools and youth programs. "Education is very important," he said, adding he would seek to be approachable and to "exhaust all the resources" before making difficult decisions.

Caleb Callahan described legislative experience from a Ted Stevens internship and said he wants to bring a youth voice to the assembly and focus on workforce and housing. "There’s a lot of things that require the borough’s attention," he said, naming workforce development, housing and transportation as interconnected priorities.

Alexander Sweeney said the assembly needs open lines of communication with the mayor, borough manager and staff and urged exploring new revenue sources to fund infrastructure and housing, while pledging to listen and learn. Sean Brecki emphasized infrastructure and workforce training, listing deferred maintenance, Saint Herman Harbor replacement, erosion at Russian River sites and housing shortages tied to Coast Guard growth. Brecki cited a McDowell report (2021) and said Kodiak has experienced population decline since 2014, and he urged local training and hiring to retain work in the community.

On availability, candidates said they would make time for assembly meetings: Callahan said he had no dependents and could attend regularly; Sweeney said remote work gave him flexibility; Brecki acknowledged occasional conflicts but pledged communication; Viscocco said he would arrange his schedule and prepare other volunteers to cover responsibilities.

The assembly did not take a vote at the work session. Mayor Griffin told applicants the assembly could consult and vote during the regular meeting that followed or postpone the appointment until the following week; he recessed for five minutes to begin the regular meeting. The record shows the vacancy was advertised under borough code and may be resolved by appointment at a subsequent assembly meeting.

The session included only the interviews and public endorsements; no formal motions or votes were recorded on the appointment during the transcript.